Dear family and friends,

2022 was a big year for us. They say that some of the most stressful experiences in life are starting a new job, moving homes, and becoming parents — we decided this was the year to do all three at once!

Still, 2022 was full of so many joys. We became both mom and dad and aunt and uncle. We traveled to visit with family across Texas and New York and were able to return the generosity by hosting family and friends in our home. We explored our city through hikes, good meals, and sharing time together.

Israel started a new job with CoStar in May while Aimee settled into her position with the City of Austin’s Office of Sustainability, which she began in fall 2021.

After four years in our lovely apartment in Austin’s historic Hyde Park, we moved to a new neighborhood in July. We settled in by decorating a nursery for our future addition and spent lots of hot summer days enjoying our new pool.

Our biggest (and littlest!) news was the addition of sweet Luisa Catherine Linares to our family in the early morning hours of October 17. Luisa truly lives up to her name (Luisa means ‘renowned warrior’). After a few days spent in the NICU, Luisa joined us at home with a clean bill of health and is impressing her pediatrician with her growth at each appointment. Now nearly three months old, Luisa is keeping us busy and happy-beyond-measure. She loves babbling, cozying into our shoulders, and not going to sleep. She is lucky to have so many people who love her in all corners of the globe.

We could not have made it through 2022 without the tremendous amount of generosity and support we received along the way. From help with our move (moving while six months pregnant is not the easiest feat!) to beautiful gifts sent from around the world to the meals and visits we received after Luisa was born, we have been blown away by the amount of love and care shared with our family. Thank you to each of you for helping to make 2022 the best year ever. Cheers to 2023!

With gratitude,

Aimee, Israel, and Luisa